Adhesive bandage



Feb. 18, 1958 P. scHLAnERMuND-r Er Al. 2,823,673

- ADHESIVEl ANDAGE Original Filedl Aug. 19, 1954 ADHESIVE BANDAGE Peter Schladermundt, Bronxville, and William H. Dennerlein, Bethpage, N. Y., assignors to Johnson & Johnson, a corporation of New ll'ersey Original application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,972. Divided and this application September 7, 1956, Serial No. 608,466

7 Claims. (Cl. 12S-156) This invention relates to adhesive bandages, and especially to the fac-ing sheet generally utilized to cover and protect the pad and exposed adhesive areas thereof.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 450,972, led August 19, 1954, in the names of Peter Schladermundt and William l-I. IDennerlein.

Adhesive bandages, the term being used here-in to designate not only the elongated strips, but also the round spots and the relatively square patches, are formed of a backing sheet which may be cloth or plastic coated on one side with an adhesive and having a dressing pad secured to the adhesive, leaving exposed areas of adhesive on both ends of the dressing. The endwise adhesive tabs generally constitute the major area of exposed adhesive. However, even in the case of the elongated strips appreciable areas of exposed adhesive often appear at the sides of the dressing, although the latter are generally smaller, relatively speaking, than the areas of `adhesive exposed at the ends of the dressing. The sidewise exposed adhesive areas are proportionately. larger in the case of the round spots and the square patch dressing, in which case they are usually as large as the endwise adhesive areas. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to the spot and patch dressings as well as the elongated strip adhesive bandages.

The facing strips are commonly used to cover the adhesive and dressing, one strip being placed over each endwise adhesive area, and the two strips overlapping above the dressing. These facing strips have been cut square so that the inward end edge of each facing strip is perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the adhesive bandage and of the facing strip.

A difficulty has been encountered, however, in the structure just described, namely, the sidewise exposed adhesive areas tend to hold and retain the bottom underlying facing strip adjacent the dressing after removal of the overlying facing strip, thereby making removal of the bottom facing strip difficult without touching the pad. Since the linger will generally. be non-sterile,V a hazard is introduced into use of the ordinary adhesive bandage having square-cut facing strips.

An important object of the invention is to provide an adhesive bandage with facing strips which may be removed from the bandage with minimum danger of contaminating the dressing.

The manner in which the object and advantages of the States atent invention are obtained may be understood from consider- ICC Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken along plane 5--5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 illustrates the manner of removal of the facing from an adhesive bandage constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates an adhesive bandage constructed according to a modification of the invention.

Fig. 8 represents a sectional view taken on plane 8--8 of Fig. 7.

rIn the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, the adhesive bandage is seen to be composed of a backing strip provided on its top surface with an adhesive mass 111. A dressing pad 112 is disposed intermediate the ends of the backing strip 110 secured to adhesive 111. Exposed portions of adhesive 115 and 116 appear on opposite endwise portions of the bandage.

Facing strips 120 and 121 may be the usual crinoline, but are preferably continuous sheets hav-ing one smooth surface disposed against the adhesive. Suitable continuous facing materials include known polymers or plastic sheets such as cellulose acetate, cellophane, vinyl resins, polyethylene and high melting point terephthalic acidglycol polyesters, either unsupported or laminated to a supporting sheet such as paper. Facing strips 120 and 121 cover respective opposite adhesive areas 115 and 116, the facing strips 120 and 121, in the case where such strips present smooth surfaces, being pressed against adhesive areas 115 and 116 (with the smooth surface against the adhesive) and overlapping above dressing pad 112 in areas 122 and 125.

vFacing strip 120 has an inward corner 126 at one side of the bandage and an inward corner 127 on the opposite side of the bandage. Similarly, facing strip 121 has an inward corner 130 at one side of the bandage and an inward corner 131 on the opposite side of the bandage. Line 135 joins corners 126 and 127, and line 136 joins corners 130 and 131. Line 135 divides the inward edge of facing strip 120 into a tab portion 141 and a recessed portion 142. Similarly, line 136 divides the inward edge of facing 121 into a tab portion 146 and a recessed portion 147. The depth of recessed portions 142 and 147 defined by the distance between points 150 and 151 respectively (representing the points in the respective recessed portions which are farthest from lines 135 and 136) and lines 135 and 136 are such that the facing strips 120 and 121 may be interlocked, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby leaving a portion 122 of facing strip 120 overlapping facing strip 121, and a portion 125 of facing strip 121 overlapping facing strip 120. According to the invention the interlocking feature is provided by so constructing and cutting the respective inward edges of the two facing strips that point extends at least to the midpoint of facing strip 120 and recess 147, the depth of which -is defined by point 151, extends at least to the midpoint of facing strip 121. `Considered more basically, the interlocking feature is seen to be provided in structures having the cumulative depth of the two recesses 142 and 147, measured transversely to the bandage, substantially equal to or greater than the total width of facing 120 or 121. Preferably the depth of each recess is such that points 150 and 151 lie appreciably beyond the midpoint of the respective facing strip thereby facilitating the interlocking structure of the facing, as shown in Figs. 1 Vand 2.

Facing strips 120 and 121 may suitably be cut or died out from a continuous strip of facing material, a single cut forming the respective inward edges 140 and 145 of the two overlapping portions of facing material. An S-curve cut, preferably an inclined S-curve cut as shown, is desirable. After cutting, provided that depressions 142 and 147 are formed as described above,` the two segments may be moved inwardly in interlocking position as shown.

In removing the facing from the adhesive bandage of Fig. 2, tabs 140 and 145 may be grasped simultaneously andpulled or, alternatively, one of the tabs, for example tab 140, may be removed first and thereafter the exposed part of the adhesive bandage grasped lightly as shown in Fig. 6 with one hand and tab 145 in the other hand, followed by pulling to remove facing 121.

During manufacture of the adhesive bandage, particularly with plastic film backing, not only are the facing sheets 120 and 121 pressed down against exposed adhesive areas 115 and 116, but the facing is also pressed against any edgewise or sidewise exposed areas of adhesive such as shown at 117 and 118 of Fig. 4. In the interlocking position, however, overlapping portion 122 of facing 120 is protected from sidewise exposed areas of adhesive by the underlying portion of facing 121. Similarly, overlapping portion 125 of facing 121 is protected by the underlying portion of facing 120.

The broad concept of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. The reference numbers for the Fig. 7 embodiment are identical for corresponding parts as compared with the Fig. 2 embodiment except that in the former the letter A follows the reference number, that is, facing sheets 120A and 121A are disposed on opposite sides of the bandage and overlap the pad near their inward edges 140A and 145A. Facing 121A has inward corners 131A and 130A joined by straight line 136A, and facing 120A has inward corners 126A and 127A joined by straight line 135A. Lines 135A and 136A define projections or tabs 141A and 146A, respectively, and recesses 142A and 147A, respectively. Points 150A and 151A are the deepest points of the respective depressions.

Bottom facing sheet 121A, by reason of the mode of construction of the adhesive bandage and, in particular, the mode of securing the facing strips to the bandage, is secured to exposed sidewise adhesive areas 117 and 118 at its corners 130A and 131A. top facing sheet 120A may be easily removed by pulling on tab 141A. The bandage then may be bent back upon itself in the central portion similar to the manner illustrated in Fig. 6 which will cause tab 146A to protrude from the bandage at an angle, presenting itself for fingergrasping. Facing 121A thereby may be removed from the bandage without running the risk of contaminating pad 112A by contact with the fingers.

The facing strips of the Fig. 7 embodiment also may be formed by cutting or dieing out a continuous sheet of facing material in the S-shaped configuration shown and then moving the severed portions together in overlapping relationship above the pad 112A.

Many modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the invention will now be apparent in the light of the foregoing specific description. Accordingly, it is intended to include such modifications and equivalents within the scope of protection sought, as defined by the appended claims.

The claims are:

1. In an adhesive bandage comprising a flexible adhesive-covered backing and a dressing secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing and exposed areas of adhesive at opposite sidewise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip covering each of said two endwise exposed areas, said strips overlapping above said dressing, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strips adjacent opposite sidewise exposed adhesive areas of said backing, lines joining said opposite corners of respective strips being substantially parallel, each of said inward edges having a protruding tab portion relative to a line joining said opposite corners.

In use of the bandage, 'i

2. In an adhesive bandage comprising a flexible adhesive-covered backing and an absorbent dressing pad secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing and exposed areas of adhesive at opposite sidewise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip having a smooth con* tinuous surface covering each of said two endwise exposed areas, said strips overlapping vabove said dressing, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strips adjacent opposite sidewise exposed adhesive areas of said backing, each of said inward edges having a protruding tab portion relative to a line joining said opposite corners, both of said inward edges having been formed by a single cut of a longitudinal sheet of facing material followed by moving together of the segments so formed to said overlapping position.

3. In an adhesive bandage comprising an extensible plastic adhesive-covered backing and an absorbent dressing pad secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip having a continuous smooth surface covering and in contact with each of said two exposed areas, said strips overlapping above said dressing, said bottom strip having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strip adjacent opposite edges of said backing, said inward edge having an S-shaped configuration forming a protruding tab portion and a recess relative to a line joining said corners.

4. In an adhesive bandage comprising a exible adhesive-covered backing and a dressing secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip covering each of said two exposed areas, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strips adjacent opposite edges of said backing, lines joining opposite inward corners of each strip being substantially parallel, each of said inward edges having a protruding tab portion and a recessed portion relative to the line joining the opposite inward corners of the strip presenting such edge, the remote point of each recessed portion extending at least to the midpoint of each facing strip whereby the two strips may be interlocked above the dressing.

5. In an adhesive bandage comprising a flexible adhesive-covered backing and a dressing secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing and exposed areas of adhesive at opposite sidewise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip covering each of said two exposed areas, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strips adjacent opposite edges of said backing, lines joining opposite inw-ard corners of each strip being substantially parallel, each of said inward edges having a protruding tab portion and a recessed portion relative to the line joining the opposite inward corners of the strip presenting such edge,

the cumulative depth of the two recessed portions, measured transversely to the bandage, being at least substantially equal to the total width of either facing strip, whereby the two strips may be interlocked above the dressing.

6. In an adhesive bandage comprising a flexible adhesive-covered backing and a dressing secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing and exposed areas of adhesive at opposite sidewise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip covering each of said two exposedareas, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said'strips adjacent opposite edges of said backing, lines joining opposite inward corners of each strip being substantially parallel, and forming an acute angle with the longitudinal dimension of the bandage, each of said inward edges having an S-shaped conguration forming a protruding tab portion and a recessed portion relative to the line joining the opposite inward corners ofthe strip presenting such edge.

7. In an adhesive bandage comprising a exible adhesive-covered backing and an absorbent dressing pad secured thereto intermediate its ends leaving two exposed areas of adhesive at opposite endwise portions of said backing and exposed areas of adhesive at opposite sidewise portions of said backing, the improvement which comprises a protective facing strip covering each of said two exposed areas, each of said strips having an inward transverse edge terminating at opposite inward corners of said strips adjacent opposite sides of said backing, both of said inward edges being formed from a single cut of a strip of facing material, each edge having a longitudinal inward projection on opposite sides of said bandage, the projection of one strip overlapping the second strip on one side of the bandage above the dressing, and the projection of the other strip overlapping the irst strip on the opposite side of the bandage above the dressing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,233,209 Herzog Feb. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 34,003 France Oct. 23, 1928 

